Melchiorri hosts ResearchFest 2013


Graduate student Anthony Melchiorri organized ResearchFest 2013, which hosts graduate student research between the Fischell Department of Bioengineering, Department of Mechanical Engineering, and the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering. Graduate students presented their work in a poster session and speed presentation format.

Nguyen Wins NSF Graduate Fellowship

Bao-Ngoc Nguyen, Fischell Department of Bioengineering (BioE)

Nguyen’s research focuses on tissue engineering, specifically in the area of bone tissue regeneration. Commonly used to treat bone defects caused by serious injury or trauma, bone grafts harvested from cadavers can lead to further medical issues such as disease transmission, immune system rejection and donor site morbidity. In the lab, she conducts in vitro experiments aimed at improving the healing process by providing adequate oxygen and sufficient nutrients to stimulate blood vessel development in tissue-engineered bones.

More information regarding the NSF Fellowship can be found here.

This article was taken from http://www.ee.umd.edu/html/news/news_story.php?id=7437

Ferlin Awarded UMD Distinguished TA Award

Four Fischell Department of Bioengineering (BioE) graduate students–Kimberly Ferlin, Sai Ganesan, Rachel Manthe and John Lin–have received Distinguished Teaching Assistant Awards from the University of Maryland’s Center for Teaching Excellence. The awards, presented each May at a formal reception at the Adele H. Stamp Student Union, recognize the contributions and achievements of outstanding graduate instructors.

Kimberly Ferlin, advised by Professor John Fisher (BioE), has served as the TA for Fisher’s section of BIOE 340: Modeling Physiological Systems and Lab for the past two years. She says that although she hasn’t decided yet whether to pursue a career in academia, the experience has given her “a feel for a future in teaching.”

“It was really rewarding to see the students progress throughout the semester,” she says. “Programming can be a hard thing to learn, but the students [did] a great job understanding how to write interesting physiological models and presenting their work in an application-based final project.” Ferlin adds that it was pleasant to discover that there is always something for her to learn as well: “Many of the students helped teach me new things at the same time I was teaching them.” Outside of her duties as a TA, Ferlin mentors undergraduate researchers in Fisher’s lab.

This article was taken from http://www.bioe.umd.edu/news/news_story.php?id=7411

Wang Wins Wylie, All-S.T.A.R. Graduate Fellowship

Clark School Fischell Department of Bioengineering (BioE) graduate student Martha Wang, advised by BioE professor and associate chair John Fisher, has been awarded an Ann G. Wylie Dissertation Fellowship and a University of Maryland Graduate School All-STAR Fellowship in recognition of her scholarship and research in tissue engineering treatments for load-bearing bone defects.

The Wylie fellowship, created for students who are in the final stages of writing their dissertations, includes a stipend of $10,000, candidacy tuition remission and financial assistance toward the cost of health insurance. The newly created All-S.T.A.R. (Scholarship, Teaching, Administration, Research) Fellowship, which provides a $10,000 stipend, recognizes graduate students who “…demonstrate both outstanding scholarship and must have made a significant contribution or impact while serving as a teaching assistant, research assistant, or administrative assistant.”

Wang, who earned her B.S. in chemical engineering and biomedical engineering from Carnegie Mellon University in 2004, conducts her research in Fisher’s Tissue Engineering and Biomaterials Laboratory. There, she works with a novel biomaterial called (poly(propylene fumarate) that can be used to heal large gaps and serious breaks in load-bearing bones, such as in the legs.

Wang’s research uses 3D printed poly(propylene fumarate) structures that may be designed to fit precisely into voids left by missing bone. These patches serve as scaffolds, or support structures, for the cultivation of adult stem cells. The stem cells are differentiated into bone cells within a bioreactor and loaded into the poly(propylene fumarate) scaffolds, which may then be implanted into a defect site. Once implanted in a patient, the stem cells continue to differentiate into bone cells, multiply and create a new bone matrix. Over time, the scaffold safely degrades as new, healthy bone takes its place, until the gap is filled and the wound is healed.

“My project is exciting as it combines many facets of tissue engineering–polymer engineering, 3D printing, bioreactors and stem cells–all into one project,” says Wang, who chose the Clark School for her graduate studies because she wanted to be part of Fisher’s team. “I also love the location,” she adds. “[It’s] close to Washington, D.C. and Baltimore, so there are many things to do outside of research.”

Wang has also been recognized for her work as an educator. She received the University of Maryland Center for Teaching Excellence’s Distinguished Teaching Assistant Award in 2012. In Fisher’s lab, she mentors undergraduate researchers.

“For the past 3 years I have had the pleasure of working with multiple undergraduates, including Joshua Thompson, recipient of [one of 2013’s] UMD Undergraduate Researcher of the Year [Awards], and Charlotte Vorwald,” she says. “They both have played significant roles in the success of our research.”

After earning her doctorate, Wang would like to return to a position in industry in which she can serve as a liaison between manufacturing, research and regulatory departments in the biotech field.

For more information on the Wylie and All-STAR Fellowships, visit the Graduate School’s fellowship page »

This article was taken from http://www.bioe.umd.edu/news/news_story.php?id=7398

Thompson Named 1 of 6 UMD Undergraduate Researchers of the Year

Clark School Fischell Department of Bioengineering (BioE) senior Joshua Thompson has been named one of the University of Maryland’s six Undergraduate Researchers of the Year by the Maryland Center for Undergraduate Research. Thompson, who was selected from a highly competitive group of nominees working in diverse fields throughout the university, was recognized for his accomplishments in tissue engineering. He received his award was introduced by his advisor, BioE professor and associate chair John Fisher, at the opening ceremony of the 2013 Undergraduate Research Day on May 1.

Thompson has worked for Fisher in the Tissue Engineering and Biomaterials Laboratory since the summer of 2010. He joined the group because he felt it would be a “unique and exciting opportunity” to prepare for a career in medicine.

“In addition to his outstanding research performance,” says Fisher, “Josh is known as a friendly and attentive worker who is ready to assist colleagues. He continually demonstrates his ability to quickly understand new concepts and master experimental techniques. He approaches his work with a high level of dedication. Overall, Josh has shown himself to be an excellent collaborator. I can confidently state that he ranks as one of the most gifted, qualified, and dedicated undergraduate researchers I have mentored.”

Thompson has distinguished himself in undergraduate research throughout his time at the Clark School.

In the fall of 2012, Thompson was named one of the UMD’s Philip Merrill Presidential Scholars. He also received a Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) Undergraduate Research Fellowship to support his study of the totoxicity of poly(propylene fumarate), a polymer with applications in bone tissue engineering; and a HHMI International Research Program Grant, which funded a semester abroad in Australia. There, at the University of Sydney, he worked with Professor Anthony Weiss, an expert in regenerative medicine and biomaterials.

In 2011, Thompson received the Maryland Technology Enterprise Institute’s Outstanding ASPIRE Research Award for his study of the efficacy of single component and multi component porous scaffolds as gene delivery devices for skeletal muscle regeneration, and subsequently co-authored a paper on the research that was published in Pharmaceutical Research, one of the top pharmacology journals.

This fall, Thompson will attend the Georgetown University School of Medicine.

This article was taken from http://www.eng.umd.edu/html/news/news_story.php?id=7350